4K video might be our inevitable future, but for now it's prohibitively expensive and rarely available. Sony's taking care of the latter part with its new VPL-VW1000ES projector—four times the resolution of 1080p (!) for mega, mega bucks.

Sony's many-charactered projector has some serious eyeball muscle: 2,000 lumens of brightness, the aforementioned insanely-high 4096 x 2160 output, and a lens capable of beaming out a 200-inch image. This sounds great! Except it costs "under" $25,000, which probably means very, very close to $25,000. If you're a person with $25,000 to spend on a projector, your retinas will be tickled. Well, at least they will be when you can find 4K video to play. Which might be a bit of a wait. At least the thing is gorgeous to look at in the meantime. [Sony]

If you blog on Blogger and wish you could post using your iPhone, Google has some good news for you.

On Thursday, Google released the official Blogger app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app is a modest first effort that'll let you post to your blog, upload photos, tag a post, add labels and more. The app is available for free from the App Store. [iTunes via Google]

Temper that excitement. This isn't the rumored quad-core, Kal-El running Transformer 2. Still, ASUS is doing its best to port the tab buzz to the enterprise set with its quietly introduced Eee Slate B121. Unlike its tablet PC bretheren, this business-minded slate runs Windows 7 Professional atop an Intel Core i5 processor, and comes loaded with the security tweaks necessary for the corporate road warrior: like Computrace LoJack for remote location and data wipe, and a Trusted Platform Module microchip that stores encrypted data. Also tacked on to the $1,500 12.1-inch package are a Bluetooth keyboard and Wacom Digitizer stylus. As for the specs, well, there's a 1280 x 800 LED Gorilla Glass display, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, dual USB 2.0 ports, mini-HDMI out, SD card slot and 2 megapixel front-facing camera. No official word on exactly when this biz-friendly tablet'll be available, but now would be a good time to convince your IT department to order it up. Be sure to hit the source below for the company's soft sell.

Viewsonic has been at the low-cost Android tablet for some time now, and it showed no signs of letting up on that effort at IFA last week, where it debuted its new ViewPad 7e. If that managed to pique your interest, you'll be glad to know that the device is now available for pre-order for $199.99 (though there's still no promised ship date). That will buy you a 7-inch screen, a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, Android 2.3 for an OS, 4GB of built-in storage, a microSD card slot for further expansion, and even a mini HDMI port that will let you output full 1080p video.

We've seen 3TB hard drives trickling onto the market for the better part of a year, but it's only now that we're seeing more UEFI-equipped motherboards that can actually handle all that storage capacity. So, the benchmarking wizards over at HotHardware decided now would be a fine time to pit a few of 'em against each other, rounding up models from the likes of Western Digital, Seagate and Hitachi and subjecting them to a grueling battery of 28 tests. We'll leave it to you to peruse the scores, but suffice to say the Seagate Barracuda XT swept about half the benchmarks, and notched a close second the rest of the time. But is it worth spending an extra $30 over Western Digital's consistently trailing Caviar Green? We'll leave that to you and your wallet.

OK, so the Level 10 GT was a significantly more practical than its BMW designed fore-bearer, but it lacked a bit pizzazz that the OG version brought to the desk. The Snow Edition restores some of its gaudy flair by slathering its accents and protrusions in glossy white paint. In fact, it looks quite a lot like the version we spotted in NVIDIA's booth at Computex in May. The roughly $280 case isn't for the casual system builder, but DIYers who cherish style, silence (HotHardware called it, "easily one of the quietest full-sized ATX cases") and expandability it's a small price to pay. Or, to put it in colloquial terms, this is a bad-ass enclosure. Check out the source link for a thorough review.

New projectors quietly slip on to shelves almost every day, but Epson's new PowerLite Pro Cinema 6010, and updated Home Cinema series certainly caught our attention. They combine 1080p images with active 3D tech for a price that home theater builders shouldn't immediately dismiss. The flagship Pro Cinema 6010 and Home Cinema 5010 lines can output 2,400 lumens while maintaining a contrast ratio of 200,000:1. Both also include the ability to convert 2D content to 3D on the fly. The primary difference between the $4,000 6010 and $3,000 5010 (the wirelessHD-equipped 5010e will run about $3,500) is the included accessories and options: like ceiling mounts, 3D glasses and additional lens modes. The budget 3010 ($1,600) and 3010e ($1,800) models sport a more modest 40,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,200 lumen rating, but do have a pair of built-in 10W speakers. Oddly, only the 3010 package will include 3D glasses. The Pro Cinema 6010 and Home Cinema 5010 line will start shipping in November, while the 3010 series will land in October. Check out the PR after the break.

Synrgic may not be a brand name that resonates with mobile-obsessed statesiders, but that's no reason to shrug off the nascent electronics maker's efforts. Known primarily for its tablet PCs in China, the company is purportedly gearing up for a launch of its first ever smartphone -- the T100. According to a leaked shot over on Chinitech, the handset'll pack a spec list that runs neck and neck with the heavy hittingphones we've seen flood the global marketplace. Sporting a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 display, the device runs an undisclosed version of Gingerbread on a dual-core 1.2GHz Tegra 2 processor, packs 1GB RAM, up to 32GB of internal storage (due to an omitted microSD card slot), and 1.3 megapixel front-facing / 5 megapixel rear camera set-up capable of 720p video capture. There's also an HDMI and USB port, ample 1500mAh battery, WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G GSM / WCDMA frequencies on board. If the gossip is to be believed, this phone'll touch down on retailers' shelves sometime in October or November -- perhaps in time for an Ice Cream Sandwich.

You're certainly not alone if you think that the current airport security process is far from ideal. AOptix hopes to streamline and speed up security procedures by replacing manual boarding pass and ID checks with a biometric kiosk called e-Gate. The new system, which verifies passenger identities by matching an iris scan with a boarding pass, just received (IATA) approval, and is currently being tested in three airports around the world. It's not as slick as a similar concept we saw earlier this summer, but e-Gate could be implemented with a trusted traveler program, creating special lanes for pre-approved frequent fliers -- similar to the US Customs Global Entry system in place today. We don't see it replacing X-ray machines and check-in interviews, but it could remove human error from the equation -- at least when it comes to verifying your identity. Jump past the break for the full scoop from AOptix, or you can check out the system for yourself at the Future Travel Experience in Vancouver.

JVC first brought 4K home with its $175k DLA-RS4000 and now it's back with four new models with greater than HD resolution at much easier to swallow prices. You'll note the term used is "with 4K precision", because strictly speaking these don't project over 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution, coming in at a still impressive 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. While this is still about four times the number of a standard HD image, it's less than say, Sony's VPL-VW1000ES. Filling in the difference is JVC's e-Shift technology, which was originally developed for its 8K projector. It works by creating two 1080p frames, with one shifted down diagonally and alternated at 120Hz to create the effect.

The scheme is not far off from the old wobulation technology featured in some "1080p" DLPs once upon a time, but this time there are no moving parts as it's all being done electronically. Shown off with an HD resolution source the upscaled image was still impressively sharp to us, even up close, while it also handles native 4K feed. While JVC may not be winning on raw pixel count, what it does have is a serious price advantage. Sony indicated its hardware would be available for "less than $25,000" but the top of the line JVC has an MSRP of just $12k, while the cheaper model will be $7,999 when they all ship in November. Check out the press release after the break and images in the gallery for details, including those so rarely seen native contrast ratio measurements.

This pico projector is more than meets the eye. Underneath that bland, plastic exterior the Tursion TS-102 is actually a dual-core Android computer. That pair of 624MHz cores is pushing the surprisingly outdated Eclair through a lamp that can project an 800 x 600 image up to 100-inches in size at 20 lumens. While you can hook the TS-102 up to another device, there is no need to. It's capable of displaying media stored on the internal 8GB of flash or on a microSD card, and you can navigate apps with the integrated touchpad. Tack on a WiFi radio and an 80-minute rechargeable battery and you've got the makings of a pretty awesome little toy. You can order your own now on Amazon, but the luxury of owning your own pocketable, big-screen computer (and the bragging rights that go with it) will set you back a steep $449.

If executed properly, Muve Music could be a pretty nifty idea. But up until now, the all-you-can download music service from Cricket Wireless has been offered on the Samsung Suede featurephone... and that's it. Fortunately, the Samsung Vitality will come to the rescue as the prepaid carrier's first smartphone to provide the beats. We've seen this device before as the Admire, which runs on Android 2.3, has a 3.5-inch HVGA (480 x 320) display and is powered by an 800MHz CPU. The phone also includes a 3.2 megapixel cam, 1,600mAh battery and a 4GB microSD card. It may not sound all that tempting, but the price could turn a few heads: the Vitality will be available for $200 -- that's sans contract, folks -- and requires a $65 plan which will hook you up with unlimited data, voice and music. Sounds like this Muve Music feature has sprung back to life. Follow the break for the full press release.

Hear this nerds? Windows 8 will ship with Hyper-V virtualization software integrated into the OS. Until now Hyper-V was limited to Microsoft's server products, but now consumers (whether they care or not) will be able to fire up virtual machines without the need to download VirtualBox or some other VM software suite. Now, the average person probably won't care too much, but power users will be thrilled. And, if virtualization can be integrated seamlessly to enhance security (through sandboxing) and compatibility with legacy apps (say, via an included XP license), it could be a huge boon to casual users -- even if they don't realize it's there. For more details about Hyper-V from the Windows 8 devs, including a nice demo video, check out the source link.

Yesterday was the big day for Sony's 4K projector (still no exact price, but reps mentioned it would be sub $25k -- we know you can afford that) and the US debut of its funky 3D helmet, but now that the CEDIA show floor is open we stopped by its booth and got our hands on a couple of other treats. In one corner we've got its Google TV hardware, updated with a near-release upgrade to Honeycomb and showing off some highlighted apps picked by Google. Over in the other, we have its new SMP-N200 streamer. Check the gallery for a few snaps of us pawing the SMP-N200 (smaller than a bread box, way bigger than a Roku 2) and after the break, a live demonstration of Google TV running Honeycomb -- it's not much, but consider this a taste before Google delivers the Market and other goodies around the end of this month.

Updates can be somewhat of an addiction to the Android faithful -- just peep those XDA forums. And even though this particular Google upgrade isn't exactly the Ice Cream Sandwich of our Autumn dreams, it's still a noteworthy bump to the oft-usedMaps app. Bundled up in version 5.10.0 are two minor, but useful tweaks that'll display your four and five star rated Places, as well as letting you tack a photo onto your review. We managed to download the update directly to our phone, but last we checked, the web-based marketplace still hadn't refreshed with the latest offering. Make sure to hit the source link below to keep your Gapps up to snuff.

Ciao bambini! Motorola just lifted the veil on its latest ruggedized phone, the Wilder, which is destined for Italian shores later this month in all its underpowered glory. The GSM dual-band phone packs a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a two megapixel camera with 15fps video, and 5MB (yes, MEGABYTES) of on-board storage -- so it's not going to be blowing anyone away with lightning-fast performance. Moto is rather light on specs, with no mention of processor speed, OS, or 3G support, but there's nothing here to imply that this thing has been sprinkled with even the slightest amount of Google dust. However, we do assume it's powerful enough to run pre-loaded Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and YouTube apps, and browse the web with Opera Mini. There's also a secondary notification display, expandable storage (up to 32GB), and some embedded games like Tetris and Need for Speed. The Wilder may only be available in Italy initially, setting you back a cool €89 (about $126), but based on these specs, your dough may be better spent on a few kilos of splash-resistant spaghetti.

Think it's time to change our patent system? So does Congress. Yesterday, the Senate approved the America Invents Act by an 89-8 vote that could bring about the most drastic changes to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in five decades. Under the bill, which the House approved back in June, patents would be awarded not to the first person to invent a technology, but to the first one to actually file with the USPTO, bringing US policy in line with protocol adopted in most other countries. It also calls for a streamlined application process and would allow the USPTO to charge set fees for all apps. The revenue generated from these fees would go directly to a capped reserve fund, allowing the office to retain the lion's share of the money, rather than funneling much of it to Congress, as had become the norm.

Supporters say this extra revenue will give the USPTO more power to chip away at its backlog of some 700,000 patent applications, while a new third-party challenge system will help eliminate patents that should've never received approval in the first place. Opponents, meanwhile, criticized the bill for not eliminating fee diversion altogether (an amendment that would've placed more severe restrictions was ultimately killed, for fear that it would jeopardize the bill's passage), with Washington Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell questioning the legislation's impact on small businesses, calling it "a big corporation patent giveaway that tramples on the rights of small inventors." But Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat who sponsored the bill, argued that yesterday's approval marks a major and historic inflection point in US patent policy:

The creativity that drives our economic engine has made America the global leader in invention and innovation. The America Invents Act will ensure that inventors large and small maintain the competitive edge that has put America at the pinnacle of global innovation. This is historic legislation. It is good policy.

The America Invents Act will now make its way to President Obama's desk, where it's expected to receive his signature. For more background on the legislation, check out the links below.

Copper wire's relatively cheap, pliable and can conduct electricity, but it's hardly ideal. Powering cities requires cables meters wide and the metal loses a lot of energy as heat. Fortunately, a team from Tel Aviv University thinks it's solved the problem. Borrowing a fiber of sapphire from the Oakridge National Lab in Tennessee, it developed a superconducting wire barely thicker than a human hair that conducts 40 times the electricity of its copper brethren. Cooled with liquid nitrogen, the sapphire superconductors carry current without heating up, which is key to their efficiency. The team is now working on practical applications of the technology -- because it's so small and pliable (unlike previous superconductors) it could replace copper in domestic settings and its cold efficiency makes it perfect to transmit power long distances from green energy stations. The wire's going on a world tour as we speak and will touch down at the ATSC conference in Baltimore in October. Anyone who makes jokes about wires and Baltimore will be asked to leave, politely.